Being a designer is being a Swiss Army Knife. These are my tools.
Tools I have:
- Adaptability. I’m pretty flexible, and willing to adjust to fit others needs. At the same time I am often able to recognize group dynamics quite well and help lead projects.
- Mechanical Skills. I’m a bike mechanic, I’m a hobbyist, I try to fix things when they break. I know how to a bunch of random things and know how to find the information needed to do new jobs. I have a willingness to tackle new challenges when they show up.
- Persistence. I care deeply about doing things to the best of my ability- at least when I’m having fun or inspired. If I’ve committed to something I will often find a way to see it through even if it means losing significant amounts of sleep or some other random consequence.
Tools that need development:
- Time management / efficiency. I’m not the most efficient person which can sometimes cause some issues because I like to put so much on my plate. I try and solve this with planners, but ultimately there isn’t enough hours in a day. I need to learn to care less about certain results, or prioritize more. Or the world needs to adjust to more reasonable expectations of one person.
- Photography. I’m a design student, but I’d love to improve my photography skills. I imagine there will be many times throughout my career where I need to take images, or could benefit from bespoke photography. I have done photography as a hobby for many years, but I would love to be more efficient with my camera.
- Adobe stuff. I’m starting to get pretty OK with all the adobe software, but I need to keep practicing to be comfortable in the places I want to go. That’s cool. There’s no rush and I’m getting better all the time. And it’s pretty fun.
Tools I need.
- Motion design. While I spent 5 weeks playing in After Effects with Eric, there is still so much I’d love to learn about motion design. It seems like it is a major part of design these days, is tons of fun, and looks incredible when done well.
- 3D modeling. Like motion design, this is a skill I want to build. 3D design is so incredible. It unlocks incredible opportunities in extended reality, gaming, branding, and so on.
- Job tracking. I’m not so great with keeping track of a million details, so I could really benefit to find a way to organize systems with lots of moving parts. I imagine this skill could become invaluable if I ever do freelance work and need to keep track of a bunch of client stuff.
Anyway, that’s my Swiss Army Knife. At least some of the tools.